Pen Ponds Kiosk — Restaurant in London

Nice, but way too popular. You get there and look at the queue to the right of the till, and think it's not too difficult, 15 minutes will do it. But placing your order and paying is the easy part. Now you look at the huddle of people on the left of the till, and realise they've all paid and are waiting for their coffee. To be fair, coffee that you've waited 40 minutes for never tasted so good.

But do they have an illuminated sign on there, so you can see what number they're on, then go back to your table / wander about outside of earshot? Do they perhaps have a second coffee machine, or a pager system with a buzzer, or a text messaging system so you can go for a walk while your coffee is being prepared? Or pre-ordering?

No. Obviously not, that would be far too helpful. So you all stand hunched up like a flock of Emperor Penguins with hands in pockets hoping the rain cloud doesn't burst whilst looking at each other in a mixture of desperation and camaraderie, and not wanting to talk in case someone misses their number. It's an experience, to be sure. Coffee always tastes better when you've...

This cafe is run by a family of Italians. They provide the best bacon rolls I have ever tasted and the pure beef beefbugers are supplied by a company which supplies the Royal Household - delicious. They also sell hot dogs, various cakes (fresh very day), biscuits & crisps. A huge collection of teas is available including decaf & herbal. I drink cappuccino there every day except Christmas Day which is the only day they are closed. The milk is semi-skimmed so bring your own if you are dairy free. I love their ice cream from the machine but they have others & lollies by Walls. PLEASE TAKE CASH otherwise you will be unable to sample their delicious food as they can't take cards. Go once and they will almost certainly remember how you...

So disappointing. There are 3 Italians and a non Italian lady at the kiosk. I made 15 min queue and then asked the Italian guy at the till for one "ristretto" = a shorter espresso. Very well known in Italy. I paid 2£ and waited. Incredibly, they asked the girl to do it: the only one who did not know what it was. She kept asking them what it was, and was a bit confused. At the end, I received a little cup half filled with "latte", the italian caffèlatte. Wrong. All that did not look very smart. I agree with a previous review saying this place has gone downhill. Before, there were 2 people from Calabria, and they were definitely able to fulfill simple requests. I won't come again, and I won't recommend the place...